


Epiphany

by facetiouspenguin



Category: Borderlands (Video Games)
Genre: F/M, Nisha has a fever she can't sweat out, Pining, Tim can see clearly now the rain has gone, a lot of it
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-05-17
Updated: 2017-05-17
Packaged: 2018-11-01 20:46:14
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,294
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/10929735
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/facetiouspenguin/pseuds/facetiouspenguin
Summary: Timothy was always looking at Moxxi with hearts in his eyes. He never realized he'd had someone by his side this whole time... until now.Drabble inspired by conversations with Madam_Red. This is for you, bb.





	Epiphany

**Author's Note:**

  * For [Madam_Red](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Madam_Red/gifts).



It begins as most relationships do -- with the completely wrong girl.

Timothy didn’t mind the way Moxxi ignored him and treated him like he was beneath her. He was completely fine with it. It was how a lot of his crushes went. They pretended he didn’t exist unless they needed him for some task or another, or maybe a credit card number or his wallet, and he continued putting them on a lofty pedestal and worshiping them (which most didn’t deserve, but Timothy was normally too awestruck in their presence to realize until it was too late and his bank accounts were mostly drained).

This was different, so much different than his other crushes, mostly because he owned the face of her ex-boyfriend. That always threw a wrench in things. Despite his many attempts at flirting -- from stuttered nonsense to point-blank asking her to marry him and fumbling like an idiot -- she never gave any inclination that she was interested. Which… he supposed would probably be what he would do if some guy he didn’t know well asked him to marry him, and gave unwanted advances towards him in general. God, he was stupid. But he still held on to some hope that maybe. Just maybe, some day… she would look at him as someone other than the body double of her ex.

Unfortunately, he’d never see that day.

He stood in shock as the Eye of Helios exploded, heart slowing to a stop as Moxxi’s insistence that they stay there while they “rebooted” the Eye replayed in his mind. His eyes stung with the threat of tears. She… she’d tried killing… He was so stunned he was frozen in place, not even flinching when Jack had his temper tantrum, glass and other debris from the window he’d just thrown the control panel into scattering his way.

“ _Watch out!_ ” Someone hissed at him, but he was still staring shell-shocked in a thousand-yard stare. He didn’t realize he’d been tackled until he was on the ground, wincing in pain as he landed on his side and ready to open his mouth to complain like usual--

Then he laid his eyes on Nisha lying close to him, a bloody cut on her face, and his mouth snapped shut. She had pushed him out of the way of the shattered glass, and it’s only until she pushes herself up and gives him a concerned once-over for any wounds that he finally has his epiphany.

 **He was a 100% bonafide** **_idiot_ ** **.**

In that moment, he was wishing a thousand deaths on himself. He’d been pining for Moxxi’s attention, waiting and praying that she would say something directed to him that was even partly nice. When all this time, he’d had someone next to him, treating him as an **equal** . Constantly partnering with him on missions, forcing him into situations to teach him how to survive, even going so far as to protect him on multiple occasions. Never once looking down on him or thinking he was _less_ just because he didn’t know as much about mercenary work as the others.

What was he thinking back then? That it was just something that Vault Hunters did for each other? That maybe she found him a nuisance and just wanted him out of the way, but knew Jack wouldn’t like it if he’d found out they let his doppelganger die?

That he’d never, not once in a million years, have a chance at her with the way Jack flirted with her?

 _How could he have been so blind?_ He thought as he stared at Nisha, who was dusting glass off his shoulder, looking like she wanted to have some words with him and his utter lack of concern for himself. She had liked him, as more than friends, more than Vault Hunters, but for how long has he been completely oblivious to this? She didn’t say a single thing as he stared at her. Maybe she was being considerate over his newly broken heart at Moxxi’s betrayal, maybe she was a little shocked herself. It was hard to tell.

His chest suddenly ached, heart pounding dully in his chest. Timothy brought a trembling hand up to her face, gently wiping up the blood on her cheek with his thumb. Nisha froze at the touch, and he nearly withdrew thinking he must have crossed a line when she pressed his hand to her face with her own.

“It’s not that bad.” She said softly, reading the concern on his face. Her tone shifted and she glared at him, practically bristling. “You, on the other hand...! What the hell, you could’ve gotten a shard of glass lodged in your head or--”

“ **I’m sorry** ,” are the words that immediately rush out of his mouth as she continued to list all the things that could have happened, tears returning and his face flushing red. He was just now understanding this was her way of scaring him into paying attention and being more careful, a tactic she had used on countless other missions. Did she really care about him as more than just as her boss’s body double…?

Nisha sighed, her anger deflating slightly at his blubbered apology, dropping her hand from his and standing up to dust herself off. She turned to offer him a hand up, taking a quick glance to see Jack already discussing his next move with the other Vault Hunters. Looks like they were being ignored for right now, no gazes cast their way. Athena would catch them up later, so she turned to the man who was still sniffling at her feet, motioning her outstretched hand for him to grab.

“Come on, you big cry-baby. Get up.” She toed his side with her boot, which finally prompted him to take her hand, giving him a hearty pull to his feet. The lawbringer couldn’t help but feel a little bitter as Timothy shed tears over Moxxi’s betrayal, lips pulling back into a scowl. That slutty clown didn’t deserve this man’s devotion, and she _definitely_ didn’t feel any stings of jealousy that all his attention was directed towards someone else. Nope, no freakin’ way.

Except she was lying to herself.

When she had first met him on their trip to Helios, one glance told her where he was going to end up -- dead, either on Helios or Elpis, it didn’t matter. He was hardly a hardened mercenary like the rest of the group, just a soft college boy who had gotten mixed up in something he shouldn’t have. Nisha was only counting away the ticking seconds until his inevitable death, when there wouldn’t be enough pieces left of him to ship home in a box.

But he surprised her by doing exactly the opposite of dying. He _survived,_ constantly. Despite his obvious lack of any sort of fighting skills, there was a fire blazing in him that desired _life_ . And, while at first she had pinpointed it on cowardice and fear driving his motivation, she found it was because he believed so strongly that he was going to make it out of this **alive** , against any and all odds. She admired his spirit, even when he would whimper at the first sight of a jump pad. Whenever he looked ready to retreat, she would boot him back into battle before he could, watching his back and making sure he learned that _he could do this, if he only_ **_tried_ **. He was going to make it through this if it was the last thing she was gonna do.

Maybe he was delusional. Or maybe it was _her_ that was delusional.

Somehow, eventually, she’d softened for him. Everyone could see it but the doppelganger himself. She would find herself sitting by him when they had down-time (maybe _accidentally_ ~~stomping~~ stepping on his toes when she caught him staring at Moxxi, when they got a bite to eat at the Up-N-Over Bar), or shoving the weapons spoils from one of her solo missions at him, knowing he favored shotguns and needed a new one. She would even partner with him on missions, allowing no one else to take him and making excuses about why she, _specifically_ , had to go with him. After a while they just stopped asking, letting Nisha drag Timothy off when they split into teams.

Nisha was bad with her emotions, unused to caring so much about another person, so her help and support was often disguised in barbed wire or a noncommittal grunt. Not to mention the constant, steady stream of teasing, which was easily one of her favorite pastimes, watching those defined cheekbones flush pinker and listening to him sputter. She thought maybe she would get tired of it eventually. That maybe this silly little crush she developed on this too-sweet boy would go away, like she had gotten a small cold and was going to get over it soon.

Instead, Timothy continued invading her immune system, infecting her with his dorky charm. It was a fever she couldn’t sweat out. All she wanted to do was jump his bones and make him fall apart beneath her, imagining what delicious whimpers and whines he would make under her expert hands. _Among other things, of course_.

Unfortunately, it seemed Nisha was the only one who felt this way. She had always been at the receiving end of other’s one-sided crushes; now she knew how they had all felt when she hadn’t paid them any mind. She was completely fine being unattached to anyone, and giving them all the middle finger when they wouldn’t leave her be.

And now, with Timothy wiping his tears hurriedly on his arm, making sure no one else had seen, all Nisha wanted to do was tear Moxxi in half. She should have done it the moment she’d laid eyes on the bartender like she had sorely wanted to, knowing she would be nothing but trouble. But Jack assured them Moxxi would help them take back Helios and save the moon, and he was the one paying them the money to do what he wanted. So she’d done nothing.

“That bitch will get what’s coming to her, Not-Jack.” Nisha growled, refraining from using his real name in Jack’s presence. “You can count on that.” Even if she had to find Moxxi and end her life herself.

He blinked at her, still seeing her in an entirely new light. “I--... I’m an idiot, Nisha,” he started to say, “I didn’t--”

“Yeah, we already covered that part.” She replied with a mirthless laugh, trying to keep her anger from boiling over, not wanting him to think it was directed at him.

The doppelganger flushed, embarrassed. “What I’m _trying_ to say is, is uh.” His words fail him as he tries to figure out what to say. “I really lo…. l--like you a lot, and I’m sorry I d-didn’t realize sooner.” He finally sputtered out, “I’m sorry it, it took me until Moxxi tried to _kill_ me to realize you -- you’ve always been there for me and she hasn’t and I--”

Nisha was staring at him like he grew an extra head. Was he really saying what she thought he was saying? _At exactly the worst possible moment?_ She wasn’t going to be able to hold back now, grabbing him roughly by the collar of his jacket and ignoring his squeak of terror. As she dragged him out of the room and down into an abandoned hallway, he sputtered apologies until she slammed him up against the wall, which silenced him.

She was glaring up at him with molten golden eyes, her anger like liquid fire, melting him as he slumped lower against the wall. Maybe if he shrunk enough, he could get away and pretend none of this had happened. Before he knew it, Nisha was crushing herself against him and yanking his head down by the lapels of his jacket and--

And _kissed_ him. Rather roughly, he might add, if every thought he’d ever had hadn’t just flown out of his brain within an instant. Her kiss wasn’t kind or sweet, but filled with **anger** ; it was hot and heavy, teeth and tongue, tasting like blood and violence, smelling like gunpowder. Timothy thought he was going to go up in flames from the intensity of it, nearly choking on it.

When they pull apart, a string of saliva connects their lips, and Timothy is sorting out where she ends and he begins.

“I better not fucking be your second choice **_ever_ ** **again**.” She said firmly, crushing his jaw in one of her hands to force him to look at her. To pay attention to her.

She didn’t need to say it twice. Hell, she didn’t need to say it the first time, he thought, still drunk on her kiss, like he’d just knocked back a bottle of firebrand whiskey. So, instead of responding like a sober person would, he dipped down and pressed his own kiss to her lips, soft, gentle, sweet. Almost chaste if it wasn’t for the way his lips moved against hers.

It was Nisha’s turn to be caught off-guard. Her grip on him slackened and she leaned into him, sighing into the kiss. The lawbringer was thinking so much about she hit the jackpot, a smile tugging at the corner of her lips.

Moxxi would never know what she was missing. A chuckle bubbled up from inside her as they continued kissing, the lawbringer more than happy to clear the clown bitch from her mind and drown herself in delectably adorable Timothy Lawrence. In a way, she was glad Moxxi had broken his heart. Because now Nisha was there to pick up and tend to the pieces… One kiss at a time.


End file.
